Chocolate Love
by AThousandMasks
Summary: "...please fall in love with me..." A boy with a box of chocolates asks this of his saviour. Twenty-eight days for him to convince his love. Twenty-eight days until the reply. Twenty-eight little misadventures. /ShinKai, KaiShin, a chapter every day until White Day (well, fictional White Day...)./
1. Day 1

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own, Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

Setting: Set after the destruction of the BO, with Shinichi regaining his own body. Kaito and Shinichi attend the same high school. 

Technical Jargon: Kohai=under classmate (fellow student who's younger than you), and sempai=upper classmate (fellow student who's older than you). In Japan, girls are supposed to give chocolate on Valentine's Day, and boys return the favour with something white on White Day, a month later; this fic is kind of based on that ritual.

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><p>"Sempai, please fall in love with me..."<p>

And with those words, a blushing kohai presented Shinichi with a box of chocolates, a pale rose, a bow, and the name of Kuroba Kaito.

"I don't know you..." Shinichi replied lamely, blunt from the stress of rejecting and the tears (and Hattori just had to be so clueless, oblivious to why he was receiving so much candy; not helping!). Masochistic as it may sound, Shinichi was starting to miss the days before his fame when girls would yell and push him out of the way, when he was not the one being showered in gifts but the one mistreated. He would never again envy any of the luckier guys with that mountain of sweets: it took a lot of guts to deal with all that anticipated grief.

Instead of the waterworks, however, Kuroba Kaito smiled hysterically, his face engulfed with laughter.

"Well, of course! That's why I'm asking you to get to know me better!

Shinichi remembered his mother imploring him to be gentle. He knew all her love advice by heart. Half the time his friends had relationship problems, Shinichi talked them through it. It wasn't as if he wanted to try and make his kohai cry but...

...still, he was just the slightest bit curious as to why this was happening. Hey, he wasn't heartless, no matter what Ran said sometimes. So he had to ask...

"Why me?"

The answer was immediate and unexpected, like that spontaneous kohai himself.

"Because, even if you are not aware of it, you saved me. So from now on, I'll walk you home. Xth street, Beika District, isn't it?"

It was more of a statement than the question Kuroba Kaito passed it off as. And so high school detective Kudo Shinichi heard of the various interests (magic tricks, Kaitou KID, and pranking), preferences (white chocolate, staying up late, and coffee with lots of sugar), and dislikes (f-i-s-h!) of his magician kohai on his way home.

That night, Shinichi pondered about how he could have possibly helped his mysterious kohai.

Roses bloomed in the moonlight as a spark of something new burst in his heart.

Was was that called again?

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><p><span>AN: Does anyone know which street Shinichi lives on? I couldn't find it online... Please review if it's any good? I can promise longer chapters in the future...<span>


	2. Day 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan, or Magic Kaito. Just making sure that no one can sue me.

Technical Jargon: Those"sempai" and "kohai" terms that I mentioned yesterday can also be used as honorifics at the end of someone's name, as in Mask-kohai, or Mask-underclassman.

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><p>*Bzzt!* *Bzzt!*<p>

Shinichi groaned, unwelcome sunlight streaming into his eyes. Who was calling him so early in the morning? Most people in their right minds would never dare wake him before noon for anything short of a potential national disaster (and even then, they'd still be a bit wary). In this case then it was probably...

"Hello? Megure-keibu? Where's the crime?"

"Sempai..." greeted a slightly familiar, patronizing, voice, "You don't really have much of a social life, do you?"

...Kuroba Kaito!? Wait, when did his kohai even get his phone number, much less manage to, yup, input all his contact info into Shinichi's cell phone? Shinichi's astonishment was, however, soon replaced with a deadpan.

"...Yeah, says the guy that's calling me bright and early on a weekend morning."

A laugh rang through the line. Shinichi noted that Kuroba Kaito had a rather casual, cheery, demeanor...

"Oh, lighted up! I'll be at your place in a bit, then we can go study together in that library by the river...'

...and was probably some sort of stalker. How else could anyone have found out Shinichi's address, his phone number, his favorite library,_ and_ figured out exactly what sort of thing Shinichi would do if he actually bothered to wake up early?

How was it that he could have forgotten someone so strange? How was it that he could not seem to remember that face from anywhere? How was it that Kuroba Kaito had fallen in love with someone like him?

Immediately after saying goodbye, the chime of a doorbell sounded. It was his kohai.

"Hello sempai! Are you ready to go out?"

"..."

"What's wrong?"

Shinichi sighed aloud; how was it that someone could be so lacking in common sense?

"Kuroba-kohai... you do realize that you were just on the phone with me?"

"Well, of course! It's only polite to tell people when you're coming over."

"Next time, please inform them before you leave your house. How long have you been here?"

Were his eyes mistaken, or did he catch a blush on his shameless kohai's face?

"W-well, not long. Shall we go, then?"

Shinchi found that he had stopped thinking of anything that his kohai did as strange. It was probably for the best, because everything he did was the very definition of that word.

"Sure."

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><p>"Kuroba Kaito... do you have any intent on learning Japanese literature?" Shinichi asked, close to noon. He had tried to teach his kohai basic concepts about traditional poetry forms but...<p>

"Sorry, sorry, could you repeat that again? I was a bit distracted."

...that had been the 67th time Shinichi taught Kuroba Kaito how syllable requirements worked. Even elementary school kids knew how to write haiku! Was it really that hard?

"You don't really want to do this, do you?" deduced Shinichi, already putting away his textbooks. At least _he_ had gotten some work done, whether or not his kohai wanted to cooperate.

"Well, I though you'd like it... Don't you like study dates?"

Shinichi smiled a bit at his kohai's kindness; it had been a while since anyone had done so much just for his happiness. Sure, he had various friends, but most of them had celebrated the 14th as the "day of romance", rather than their former "singles awareness day". They were usually preoccupied with their love lives, anyway, and it would make for rather dull conversation with one person saying everything.

"I like going out to study, but I think that can wait, for now. Besides, it's rather depressing going on a date only one person can appreciate. You like chocolate ice cream, right? After you finish your poem, we can go to that new ice cream store down the street and try out their selection. Sound like a plan?"

"Okay~!"

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><p>It had been fun watching Kuroba try all the frozen deserts he could eat, and showing off his magic tricks on unsuspecting passerby's. Shinchi was worn out by the time his kohai walked him home, and he soon fell into dreamless sleep.<p>

It was only a moment, just before he completely woke up the next day, that he remarked of the fact that his date was actually uninterrupted by any kind of crime. It was normally such a lucky thing that Shinichi would take careful note of, but somehow, it had slipped from his mind with all that was going on.

And the roses bloomed larger, more beautiful than ever, bathed in gentle moonlight.

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><p><span>AN: Oh my goodness, today I saw a hat that completely made my day. I was at a school competition, and a few people came in wearing a school-themed hat. They read "PMS" on the front in capital letters. So, um, review please (yes that was random)?<span>


	3. Day 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan, or Magic Kaito.

_Italics _represent things said in the past, or over electronic communication, or stressed words... use context as a rule of thumb, I guess?

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><p>When he had fully awoken the next day, Shinichi found himself dealing with a murder that had literally walked itself to his front door. Then, after solving the case (in which Shinichi marveled at how many lovers killed each other, wincing at how unromantic that sounded, even in his head), he was stuck in the police department for a statement, then at Megure-keibu's house when the Chief Inspector's wife decided to treat him lunch as a thanks.<p>

More perturbing than the absolute normality of this situation in Shinichi's life (it wasn't as if he'd become heartless... more like just simply more constructive with his grief at such situations), however, was that he first answered Megure-keibu's call with a greeting to his kohai... that in itself said so much that Shinichi didn't want to explore farther.

It was not until after this series of unfortunate events that the detective noticed several missed calls and text messages sent from his kohai.

_"Good morning, sempai! Wake up, it's already ten in the morning! Call me back soon; I've found a great new cafe I think you'll enjoy. Bye!"_

_"Sempai...? Sorry for calling again, but could you please call back? Or at least get up? You won't be about to fall asleep tonight, at this rate, sempai! Well, bye..."_

_"Um... sempai? This is the third time today that I've called, but... please reply? I'll be going over to your house soon... so... bye..."_

It just went on and on.

A wave of guilt washed over Shinichi as he listened and read to the voice mails and messages. It was an odd emotion - not based on any sympathy since Shinichi, a bit of a lone wolf as he was, had never found it in him to send so much communication to one person. Somehow, the detective was developing a connection to his deviant kohai. The two could just _understand_ each other so well.

For a moment, the image of a white figure, glowing under the moonlight, worked its way into his thoughts. Shinichi pushed that away, though. why think of that guy now?

Such thoughts were soon banished from his mind by more pressing concerns, like the issue of his kohai napping on the doorsteps.

Softly, Shinichi woke him up, a kind of strange warmth filling him at the intimacy of the situation...

...and Kuroba Kaito freaked out.

"S-sempai! Um... what...? Oh my... I didn't...?"

"Hello, Kuroba-kohai. You fell asleep on my doorsteps."

"Ah... um... hello, sempai."

Shinichi sighd at his kohai's behaviour. How long had he stayed here...?

"How long did you wait for me here?"

"Ah... not too long... I think...? What time is it?"

"Six in the afternoon. Why don't we go to that cafe you suggested, then_ I'll_ walk _you_ home as an apology for making you wait?

"S-sounds great!"

That evening, Shinichi found that Kuroba Kaito had impeccable taste in restaurants.

And roses grew taller in the moonlight.

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><p><span>AN: I fell asleep writing this... I'm so incredibly sorry! I'll write in the mornings, then, instead of at night from now on! I started on this as soon as I woke up, and another chapter will be posted soon. I'll try not to let this happen again!<span>

Some of you might comment on Kaito's behaviour, so let me explain first. Some people get clingy really early on in relationships to kind of test the waters, and understand how that relationship is going to work out, as well as figure out the boundaries. Besides, isn't it just really awkward to wake up on someone else's doorsteps, then be woken up by the owner of that house, who just happens to be the very person your in love with?

Also, Shinchi's pretty much quite mature sometimes, so Kaito would probably not want to annoy him too much.

Isn't psychology interesting? Review, please, since I can't read your minds!


	4. Day 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

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><p>Anxious to avoid a repeat of that day's events, Shinchi had scolded Kaito yesterday for waiting so long. He specifically told him to not bother the next day, what with Shinichi's after school soccer game and everything that was probably going to really stretch on.<p>

The next morning, Kaito did not call. The calm, quiet, air of the neighborhood remained unperturbed as Shinichi got up.

Well, it did, until his neighbor burst in through the roof. After that, he got caught up in three consecutive cases, then was late to school. Given his penchant for bad luck, Shinichi really did wonder why he was so surprised by all this.

He decided to focus on the very useful principals of maths instead; hey, at least it would be on the next test.

Shincihi, unfortunately, could not even begin to predict how unfortunate he really was when he saw his kohai waving to him at the game.

The game was going quite well, 9-0 when it ended.

And then the soccer team's ace, the great high school detective, found himself swarmed by girls. Why did he never see this coming? It happened ever single game, too, yet still he tried to believe that they were finally giving up. They couldn't do this forever, could they?

"Kudo-san, you were just so cool!"

Shinichi just got the sneaking suspicion that they could.

"Sempai, please go out with me! I love you!"

"Kudo-sempai, you're just so wonderful! Please accept my love!"

"Kudo-san!"

"Kudo-sempai, could take a picture with you?"

"Kudo-san! Please come to my party!"

"He's mine! Get away you...!"

It took a good half-hour before he managed to disentangle himself from the mass. Girls were seriously scary sometimes...

...that reminded him, where was that Kuroba, anyway?

He couldn't find his kohai anywhere else that day, and Kuroba Kaito wasn't picking up his phone, either...

Shinichi decided to just leave a voice message and go home. He would talk to his kohai later.

Pale roses shivered in the moonlight, petals quaking.

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><p><span>AN: ...and the storm starts. I think Shinichi would have to be playing soccer indoors at this time of year, but there's always fake grass. Plus, where else would he use his awesome skills, and cause some drama? Sorry for the short nature of this one; today was messy, to say the least.<span>

Reviews are author food!


	5. Day 5

Disclaimer: I disclaim any ownership of Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

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><p>Just as Shinichi was beginning to give up on pondering about the events of the previous day (he had tried <em>hard<em> too, even calling his, *_gasp*_, equally clueless father for potential missed clues), a new insane mystery had emerged...

...the case of the scent of delicious breakfast now wafting through the great detective's home.

For no clear reason, someone had decided to force him away from his go-eat-leftovers-at-Agase's-house-for-morning-meals routine. Even _more_ striking was that Shinichi already managed to narrow his focus down to a single suspect - a particular person who had caused him particular anxiety the previous night.

Sure enough, in the kitchen was Kuroba Kaito, an intricate lace apron (Shinichi was not going to even bother to ask) over his school uniform. There were a few new bandages on his hand, and Shinichi wondered if he had gotten those wounds cooking. The most puzzling detail, however, was that off-beat, dazzling smile on his kohai's face.

Shinichi was stuck on the image of a white cape and a gem of a smirk when his kohai's words interrupted his thoughts.

"Good morning, sempai! Breakfast is served!"

"...Kuroba-kohai... why in the name of John Watson...?"

"Ah... well... I though I'd express my emotions better this way... is it that bad?"

"Oh no, I'm just rather surprised."

"That's good... I haven't exactly spent my life interacting a lot in ordinary ways so it's a bit awkward sometimes. Ah, the omelette's ready! How is it?"

Kuroba fed the detective a bite of the breakfast item, and honestly Shinichi though his taste buds were dreaming. It was better than any other breakfast he'd had in at least the last few years!

"It's delicious! How do you manage to cook so well?"

Shinichi saw his kohai's smile widen even more at the compliment. For a second it looked like Kuroba's usual smile.

"I just used a recipe you had lying around... it wasn't much..."

"That's incredible though. When I cook, I usually end up getting distracted by a mystery novel or something, and then everything gets burnt."

"Sempai... I don't think you're supposed to read while you cook...!"

On their way to school, Shinichi talked to Kuroba about his own taste in mystery novels, pleasantly surprised to find another high school student who had heard of them. For some reason, his kohai had stuck around him all day, at any chance he got. Was this something related to the events of yesterday?

Still, something almost felt off. After walking his kohai to his house, Shinichi returned home wondering about those flickers of unease he almost saw in Kuroba's eyes. Something was off, but what was it?

Another quick call to his parents revealed another bit of ignorance on both male members of Shinichi family, as well as something the female member seemed to know to the point of frustration at the two males' antics.

And roses shivered in the air, drooping the slightest bit as the moon paled behind them and a cold wind began to blow.

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><p><span>AN: I should really start doing these sooner, rather than literally moonlighting as an online author. Dawn-lighting is probably better for my health, overall. On a less nitpicking note... please review? They're the roses to my endings!<span>


	6. Day 6

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK. I don't own much, now that I think about it...

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><p>Soft snowflakes drifted down past shinichi's window as the detective woke up, the icy crystals shimmering like long-awaited sun-kissed rays. Mmm... something really smelled delicious... oh, this situation reminded the detective of that manga Ran forced him to read last year, and if it were the beginning page... and then that perfect boyfriend would say...<p>

"Good morning, princess."

Shinichi's eyes flew open, the detective instantly awake as he looked at a set of piercing, indigo eyes mere centimetres away from his own...!

"What the...?

"Ah... good morning sempai! Sorry about that - the situation was really like that opening scene for _Princess-kun_, wasn't it?"

_Princess-kun_. Ah, yes, that was the name of the manga his childhood friend forced upon him. But how had Kuroba...?

As if on cue, his kohai immediately blushed, probably at the thought of being so well-acquainted with such a series.

"Ah... you do know that manga, right? Aoko - that childhood friend of mine - forced it on me..."

"No, the same thing pretty much happened to me... Ran pretty much was also obsessed over it to the point where she made me RP for it and stuff..."

"So you didn't like it either? I found it rather tasteless... I mean Shohei pretty much..."

"...That's right, and then... it's just so..."

They found themselves deeply engrossed in their hatred of that manga. Needless to say, especially with Shinichi's luck, the two were late to class. Still, the detective almost found himself wanting a bit more, as he pushed himself to pay attention to that string of numbers on the blackboard.

At break, Shinchi found himself almost in awe of his peace. Had those fans of his finally given up? No more confessions, no more painful illusions, no more of that crazed crowd? Ah, how long he had longed for this very moment...!

It was almost as nice as conversing with his kohai...

Eyes widening at the implications of such a realization, the detective was so intensely thinking over such matters that he failed to notice a wayward shadow fading into the background, following him.

That day, Kaito accompanied Shinichi to various crime scenes (probably as a sort of date arranged on Shinichi's part...). Shinichi found himself immediately liking Kaito's intelligence on the field, his logical analysis of events and reasoning, and his kohai's lack of great delusions about romanticized crime.

"Good night, sempai!" Shincihi's fish-phobic kohai called out, after walking the detective home.

"Good night, Kuroba-kohai."

Just as he saw his kohai turn away, Shinichi found himself hit by the oddest impulse... to react could be a terrible decision but something was saying to him...

"Be careful; crime rates rise at night!"

...that no matter what, the smile of joy and love on Kaito's face was more than worth it. That priceless shade of pure blush spreading across his face didn't mix badly with that, either.

"H-hai...! You too... sempai... be careful!"

And roses rose to the moonlight, petals delicately reflecting such precious beams of faint light as they stood swaying in the icy wind, so like that of a nearby storm.

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><p><span>AN: I wish I had a Kaito to wake me up in the morning... On the bright side, this is actually a pretty sane hour for me to post at. I hope you enjoyed reading this... please review to tell me what you thought!<span>


	7. Day 7, Morning

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK. I don't know anyone who would sue me if I claimed to, either...

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><p><em>Somehow, it was yesterday all over again. Kaito was right in front of his face, just like that morning, just like that manga...<em>

_...except, this time, the scene continued on as the rest of the fictional story did, and his kohai leaned in further..._

_"Good morning, princess."_

...Shinchi's phone rang, breaking the scene apart as the great detective awoke.

_"Calling: Kuroba Kaito", _he read on the faint screen.

The detective quickly picked up, willing himself (unsuccessfully) to forget that dream.

"Hello...?"

"Ah... good morning, sempai..." Kuroba's voice said, although the younger sounded rather horse, and ended on a bout of coughing.

"What's wrong, Kuroba-kohai? You don't sound very good."

"Well..." here, he broke into barking wheezes, "I kind of got sick... so... I'm saying you don't need to wait for me or anything... for today..."

"Is anyone taking care of you?"

"Ah... well..."

Shinichi sighed. How did he know that this would happen?

"I'll be over in a few minutes, then. Don't do anything crazy."

"Y-you don't need to... I'm fine... really..."

"Yeah, yeah, and pigs will fly. I'm hanging up. Bye."

"Ah...! Sempai...! Sempai...!"

Halfway through these words, however, the detective was already out of the door. Any more protests fell on deaf ears as Shinichi dashed out to the bus stop, switching routes several times after boarding, if only to arrive just the tiniest bit faster...

When he arrived, Kuroba greeted him, although the other boy was clearly in no state to be doing so. Shinichi observed his kohai for a few moments, before taking a deep breath and launching into a rant.

"Kuroba-kohai, you're ill. You have flushed cheeks from the fever, your nose is most definitely congested, you have watery eyes, and worse, you haven't even bothered to eat, have you? Get back to bed and wait for me to cook something; I'll also clean up the mess here. I'll stop by to get you your homework later. No complaints; get to your room!"

"..."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!"

A few moments, and several near-disaster later, our favourite detective was slipping upstairs. He held a bowl of porridge in his hand, as well as a spoon, and several paper napkins. Shincihi had also prepared a glass of water and a cooling pad.

"Sempai... you're late for..."

"Say 'ahhh'. You really shouldn't worry about that... I'm always off helping out on cases, and I'm still doing fine academically. I'm going there in the afternoon to grab your stuff, so I'll get my homework too."

"MMMPH!" Kaito couldn't really say much with that spoon still in his mothe, though hsi eyes were wide open, as if he could not get over hsi shock.

Eventually, Kaito fell asleep with deep, restful breaths. Shinichi slipped out, writing a note for his kohai.

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><p><span>AN: This is only half of a day, so I suppose it's half a chapter. I'm really sorry about this, but I'll fall asleep again if I tried to write any more. This will be continued tomorrow, along with Day 8.<span>


	8. Day 7, Afternoon

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. I do, however, claim to know someone that would be quite upset if I did pretend to own this series.

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><p>Shinichi sprinted to school, with a plan to complete this trip before that kohai of his decided to injure himself again. It was as if they had a particular understanding, like twins or close siblings, about one-another. One of the things Shinichi instantly found was the younger boy's particular aversion to receiving help, especially if he needed it.<p>

For the past few days, the usual swarm of groupies was absent. Shinichi had thought that they'd give up but...

"Kudo-sempai! Are you really going out with that guy?"

"There was a really mean kid, Kudo-san, he made us all go away! Then he followed you for the entire lunch break, and we couldn't talk to you at all!"

"Kudo-san! Do you know that guy? He stalked you all of lunch, that Kuroba Kaito!"

"Kudo-sempai, go out with me! I'll save you from that horrible maniac!"

...wait, what? Kuroba was the one stopping them? Kuroba stalked Shinichi for the entirety of lunch just for that purpose? Did that have something to do with that game?

Suddenly the pieces fit together into a single, green image. Envy. Jealousy. Possessiveness.

The detective had nearly forgotten his kohai's first words to him. _"Sempai, please fall in love with me..."_

He pushed through the crowd, making a full u-turn to Kuroba's house.

Bus after bus after bus he rode, if only to confirm the truth the smallest bit sooner.

There was no need, however, for a great confrontation with the doors and stairs. His kohai was already at the door, shivering with the cold.

"So... you found out..."

His voice sounded so defeated, occasionally broken by coughs and roughed by a sore throat, but that soft tone of despair still remained.

"Why...? Kuroba-kohai, I'm not that kind of person... hell, you could have told me your feelings!"

"You had already forgotten what happened on the 14th... I didn't want you to change your mind... I feel better now, so I'll be alright alone... you can go if you want to..."

Shinichi exhaled loudly, trying to calm down. If he had to prioritize, then he would definitely do that. He felt a surprising revelation rise up inside of him.

"No way. You're sick; this can wait until afterwards. I don't think I'm in love with you yet, but I'm not going to leave you. Got it?"

Kuroba's eyes widened in shock, as he quickly replied...

"...yes. Thank you, sempai!"

...and presently broke off into another wheezing spell.

"Take it easy! Let's get you upstairs, first, then you can call Nakamori-san for the homework..."

Shinichi stayed over with his kohai that night, feeling more satisfied than he had for a long time.

And roses burst bigger, large petals adorning their bloom, as they displayed their dazzling glory under ghostly moonlight.

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><p>AN: Kaito's illness is based off of a bit of flu or whatnot that's been going around lately. Today, the fire alarm went off, and I had to stay out there in the cold without a coat (people say that those that live up north have anti-freeze in their blood or something, but it's really all just dressing up for the weather).<p>

Review, onegaishimasu (I beg of you)!


	9. Day 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

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><p>Shinichi woke up in a vaguely unfamiliar room.<p>

For a moment, he blindly reached for his bedside lamp, until...

...his hand fell upon a face. Then it all rushed back to him, yesterday's events, the revelations, and the lingering awkward silence. He had fallen asleep tending to his kohai, didn't he...?

Softly, he got up (for some reason, he wondered if he always got up this way or if he was doing it for Kuroba - Shinichi suspected the later), and tip-toed to the kitchen. He already found some porridge yesterday, so all there was left to do was add water, cook it, and wait. Shinichi also brought a fresh cooling pad and some basic flu medication upstairs with him.

Still it was hard not to wonder why he was doing all this sometimes.

The detective gently fed his kohai the porridge and medicine, gently brushing his hair aside and replacing the cooling pad.

Shinichi knew a lot about human nature, having to regularly deal with it for all sorts of cases. Lies, affection, betrayal, despair, and so many more of the never-ending faces of humanity were already well-understood. He knew about Kuroba's emotions. He knew that staying longer would only hurt Kuroba more if March rolled around and the detective's reply was in the negative.

In that case, wouldn't it be better to just leave now?

Still, there was something that glued him here, as he watched Kuroba's sleeping face.

So Shinichi took care of his kohai for the rest of the day, returning home when the fever had subsided.

"Goodnight, Kuroba," he said, after finding his kohai unexpectedly asleep in the middle of a conversation.

Somehow, his home's library, the usual stack of case files, and a mystery novel were no longer enough to satisfy him.

And roses bloomed larger, expanding to fill the sky with the dazzling reflections of the moonlight.

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><p><span>AN: Sorry for the belated and super-short chapter... I hope everyone enjoyed reading the fluff though (I got stuck reading Junjou Romantica, so it'll be more honeyed than usual)! Please review, and feel free to give any suggestions!<span>


	10. Day 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

Note on "Saturday" Above This Chapter: I realize that I'm a full 2 days off on this already. To clear up any confusion, days will be posted to keep track of school and days off, among other things.

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><p>Saturday.<p>

Shinichi and Kaito's wolds collided the next day, when the detective woke up to a pair of duplicate, murderous glares.

"Shinichi, what ever happened? You outright missed school for two days straight, I couldn't get a hold of you either, your mom was worried sick, and you are you really going out with someone?! Shinichi, I know I'm not always there, but at least consider telling one of your best friends what's going on!"

"Oi, you're Kudo-san, aren't you? Well mark my words; if you break Kaito's heart, I'll break your arm! And your nose! And...! And...!"

The great detective immediately deduced that this was not a dream (the demolished doors he could see coming to his room were kind of a dead giveaway), and proceeded to reply in a most mature fashion.

"Of course I couldn't talk to you, I was taking care of someone! And I don't know if I'm dating Kuroba; it's really up to him! And you - you're Aoko, aren't you? I'm not trying to be a heartless player! Why does everyone automatically assume the worst of me, anyway?"

Then he explained the situation to both of them. Apparently, Nakamori-san had run off with the wrong information, and Ran just decided to be sisterly that day. Goodness, no matter how much psychology he knew, people were still rather baffling at times. Always getting worked up over one thing or another...

...this rather reminded him of someone he used to know... the image of a white shape against darkness came into his head. No, he mustn't think of that. Best to push all that away.

Shinichi found that he was too embarrassed to go to his kohai house after... everything he found out about himself... and that strange emotion that hung in the air...

He ended up visiting anyway, bringing along his left-over homework.

"Hello, Kuroba. Feeling better yet?" he asked, by way of greeting when his shocked kohai answered the door.

"Ah... yes! Sorry about... that... and... um..."

"It's fine, you don't have to apologize. I needed a break from all the cases anyway, and they never seem to come when I'm around you."

"Mind explaining...?"

It seemed as if Kuroba was quite perplexed and curious to the point where he forgot to be nervous. Personally, Shinichi found himself liking this side to his kohai the best.

"It's a detective thing... cases come to us pretty much every day. I remember on the 14th, there were several murders and then..."

"...You really don't need to say more about... that... but feel free to spend time here, if you don't want to go trough all that... or something...!"

"Oh yeah, today Nakamouri-san came over. She told me all sorts of stories about you...!"

"!"

Shinichi laughed at Kuroba's defeated expression. His kokai sighed.

"How humiliating..."

"Hey it's fine."

Maybe it was just the odd silence, but the conversation soon turned again.

"Erm... I'm really sorry... for that... incident with those... and spreading rumours that we're dating..."

"Ah that? It's okay... besides, you're the one who decides what exactly our relationship is, this month, right? I'd like you to stop those stalking tendencies though... it'd be much better if you came out in the open to eat lunch with me instead, don't you think?"

"Thanks..."

And that night, roses posed, basking the the drops of moonlight dancing through the sky. They looked lovely, had anyone, let alone themselves, seen them.

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><p><span>AN: I'm honestly about to pass out... this is probably a disadvantage to literally moonlighting as an FF author. Reviewing is caring!<span>


	11. Day 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. I do, however, own a very cute cat.

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><p>Sunday.<p>

That morning, Shinichi dragged Kaito along to the library, again, since Kaito had a project to finish.

"Sempai, you really don't need to worry... I'll get it done on my own so..."

"A certain little bird told me the last time you did that, you ended up pulling an all-nighter. There's no way you're going to do that under my watch."

"Goodness, I really wish I hadn't told Aoko what happened... she's really getting ahead of herself here... that annoying...!"

"Ah well, I'll treat you to lunch when we're done, to my favourite cafe. That's only, of course, if you really want to go."

Shinichi suddenly felt very foolish for saying that. He was about to add something else when his kohai beamed.

"Yay~! Let's finish this then... um... I kind of have a question...?"

"Shoot."

"Well... sempai... I was wondering whether or not you were... disturbed... when I... confessed..."

His voice shrank away into a half-whisper at the last words. Shinichi stared back at his kohai... he was asking this... now?!

"Kuroba... I've already stuck with you for ten days... if I was disgusted, I would have screamed and run away back then. Honestly, why in the world do you even need to confirm something you already know?"

"I was... scared... of all things people could say about this and..."

"I'm fine with things, really. You don't need to be afraid - after all, _I've_ accepted you, haven't I? That's the reason you shooed everyone away, isn't it?"

"..."

"Well, in that case, let's make a clear policy: if you're scared, just say it."

"Okay~! Well, in that case... I might have a few more questions..."

"Yes?" asked Shinchi, waiting with an answer to whatever other things Kuroba needed to confirm... but...

"Well, I was wondering... 'Why learn about the Meiji Reformation?'"

"..."

Shinichi gave Kuroba a deadpan as a reply. His kohai simply smiled and held up his hands in false innocence.

"It's a legitimate question... sempai..."

"That's _your_ project, Kuroba. I'm pretty sure that the teacher intends for _you_ to complete it. Last time I checked, I'm not an extension of you, or a mysterious fifth limb. Therefore, I regret that I can't complete your homework for you."

"Sempai...!"

Shincihi's lips twitched up at his kohai's childish display and whining. How refreshing this was, just sitting here, bickering.

"No~ way~! That's your punishment for not working harder. You're the one who brought it onto himself."

"..."

Kuroba sulked, going off to properly complete his research. Shinichi's smile leaked through, and he picked up an English title for a school report. As expected, it was a Sherlock Holmes title, _The Sign of Four_.

The lazy, belated lunch at Poirot was heavenly, especially as Kuroba was no longer too nervous to play his worst tricks in front of Shincihi. Although the detective had to somewhat sympathize with the ones on the receiving end, he was the one laughing hardest, in the end.

Soon, it was dark and the tab was paid; the two walked to the bus stop before parting ways.

"Goodnight... sempai..."

"Goodnight, Kuroba."

Somehow, this sort of thing was slowly sinking into the detective's daily routine.

And roses basked in moonlight, glimmering like gems in rays of snowy light as the night passed on.

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><p><span>AN: Ah, like a calm before a storm. I've been wondering about why I use homework as a plot device so often... I'm starting to wonder if it's not just me being a slacker in real life, with all my self-reminders creeping into my writing. That is truly horrifying... I seem to change my writing voice based on my moods a lot too. Review to save this writer from the pressing wall of uncertainty of the unknown! (That's seriously over-the-top... but still! I love getting reviews of all sorts!)<span>


	12. Day 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

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><p>Monday.<p>

Shinichi found himself dragged out of his house by his kohai. It was only then that he noticed that he would soon be late for school... and that he was flooding his kitchen trying to wash a dish... and that the eggs he cooked were burning on the stove... and that Agase had barged in via a new invention. All while he had taken a glance at his new mystery novel.

What had he been missing while he read?

"Sempai! That's really too much... you should stop spacing out completely while you read...!" his kohai scolded him.

Shinichi pouted slightly.

"Kuroba, I only do that when I read mystery novels; even then, only for the good ones! It's not as if I do it reading ads or anything else, so what's the issue?"

A worried puppy look came from Kuroba's direction.

"The issue is that you always read those mystery novels, and it's dangerous to do so like that. You're one of those people who read on public transportation, aren't you? And you've probably missed your station multiple times too..."

Soon they arrived at schools, and found themselves parting ways. Just as Shinichi sat down however, his mind began to wander.

Damn. He was thinking about that again. How it that lately, _that_ particular subject kept lodging itself into his brain?

Somehow, the great detective couldn't get it out of his mind how alike Kuroba was to _him_, International Thief 1412. Otherwise known as Kaitou KID. He knew that this was insane, that his kohai couldn't possibly have any connection to a phantom thief active long before either of them had been born.

Still, the little things stuck out, sometimes. Kuroba's way of hiding behind a smile, so similar to KID's. Their ways of making the perfect face on command. Their incessant, irrepressible pranks. Their taste in such pranks, even.

It was silly, as he already knew. He was being irrational. He had to admit, though, he really began to miss that annoying thief just as Kuroba showed up. Now, he found such feelings quickly fading away.

Shinichi really had to wonder... of all his friends, Ran came the least for love advice. Could there be... actual advice in those pointless love stories of hers?

Suddenly, a chunk of chalk landed right in his gaping mouth. Darn it; he was in class now, wasn't he?

From her spot at the front of the class, his teacher gave him a pointed look of disapproval.

"Kudo-kun, please answer questions 4 to 9 on the board for us all."

Shinichi quickly went through his copy of the textbook, dutifully writing down the answers, a bit shaky with fear. That teacher was just really... too much to handle at times. Seriously... throwing chalk at students when they didn't listen... throwing work at students if they didn't think enough...

He wondered if Ran would be like that someday. That would be an interesting career choice, not the least because Ran tended to throw fits of anger.

It seemed like eternity until the bells rang and students rushed out of the classroom in a deluge.

The detective looked around for his kohai. He couldn't be following him secretly again, right? Shinichi had already told him to meet up for lunch…

Before he could find Kuroba through the pandemonium, however, a blond kohai pulled him away.

After the odd hair colour, the next thing Shinichi noticed was an almost humorously large pocket-watch. Then the eyes, full of almost pompous confidence.

"Hello, you're Kudo Shinichi-san, right? My name is Hakuba Saguru – you might have heard of me before."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at that. He had, indeed, heard of him before. Hakuba Saguru, British teen detective, son of the police superintendent, and, according to his friend Hattori Heiji, "an insufferable, pompous moron".

Shinichi wondered if Hattori was right or wrong on that particular point.

"Yes, I think I'm the one you're looking for. I have, too, heard of you."

"Then you know my reputation, I take it?"

"You seem to have quite a reputation. So what would you need me for?"

"You're the one going out with Kuroba, right?"

"Um… in a way… yes…"

The Tokyoite youth did not like where this was headed to… was it really going to be like that again…?

"I want to warn you…"

"…that if I hurt him, you'll punch my lights out? Nakamori-san beat you to it, already."

"…not that. I don't care what you do to that guy. I guess I'll have to tell you straight, then. I have reason to believe that Kuroba is International Thief 1492, the Magician Under Moonlight, Kaitou KID. I would like to ask you a favor, then, to help me, ah, _procure_ the proper evidence…"

"!"

He wasn't the only one, then? As reassuring as such a thought was, Shinichi felt somehow unsatisfied, as if…

Just then, like in so many of Ran's favourite manga series, a voice barged in.

"Hello, Sempai~! Is Hakuba giving you trouble, or something?"

Hakuba Saguru smirked.

"Aren't you the one giving Kudo-san trouble, KID?"

"Geez, I've already told you that I'm not KID-sama. When will you ever listen? Sempai, let's go!"

The British detective sighed.

"One minute, point two hundred thirty-two seconds… you're really fast, KID. Ah well, I'll leave the two of you alone. Still, Kudo-san, please keep my suggestion in mind…"

Such thoughts dogged Shinichi for the rest of the day, and even as he tried to fall asleep that night.

And roses, plump under the stagnated moonlight, stood almost as still as those beams of light if not for the rustling of their petals.

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><p><span>AN: Ah I missed another day... I'll find the time to make them all up soon, so they'll be coming! The part about the teacher throwing chalk into a student's mouth is based on a story someone in my family told me on a former teacher just chucking chalk at distracted students (with terrifying accuracy). Reviews are author-food!<span>


	13. Day 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. I don't own a good internal clock, either...

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><p>Tuesday.<p>

The next morning, Shinichi woke up to a strange pressure on his bed.

His eyes fluttered open to a stack of case files.

Did Megure-keibu hire a new rookie or something like that…? The detective didn't think that anyone else would send him so many files except for…

With a sneaking suspicion in mind, the great detective flipped through a folder and, sure enough, it was about KID. Little red print in the margins pointed out strange little details, as if someone had stayed up nights poring over this…

…with all that in mind, it was most likely someone obsessed with KID, and someone who, looking at the notes, clearly thought that the elusive thief was a Japanese high school boy…

…it was probably Hakuba Saguru. Was this that thing about Kuroba and KID again?

Shinichi sighed deeply. Was his list of headaches to increase from just the statistically impossible number of cases to that and an emotional tangle?

After a quick breakfast, he walked to school with his kohai.

"Good morning, Sempai…"

"Did something happen?" the detective asked, seeing through the smiles.

"…it's not that… important…"

"Honestly, I don't really mind. Just tell me, if it's bothering you that much."

"…well…" Kuroba started, but was soon interrupted by a blond classmate.

No points for guessing it was Hakuba Saguru.

"Good morning, Kudo-san, Kuroba. Kudo-san, did you get those case files I sent you? Do you believe me now?"

Kuroba's eyes seemed to almost flash angrily, as if they were twin spheres of lightning, but he did not say anything.

Hakuba smirked.

"Honestly, Kuroba, you shouldn't do that. Kudo-san, you should really see this guy in a fight. I seem to remember him flipping up Aoko-san's skirt countless times..."

"Hakuba."

It was a final, calm, tone that meant so much more than any shout could. It spoke volumes of rage. It whispered seas of hatred. It was like the soft slice of the guillotine; like the nailing of a coffin; it warned of the end.

The other detective's smirk widened.

"So, Kudo-san, are you willing to help me? Uou don't need to answer now, but..."

"Hakuba."

Kuroba almost growled, spit, the name.

In the distance, a carillon rang fifteen minutes to class. The other detective bowed his head.

"Well, I suppose I'll retreat for today. _Au revoir_, Kudo-san. If you're still interested, we could always meet up. So call me."

He pressed a scrap of paper into Shinchi's hand.

Almost instantly, Kuroba seemed to shrink back.

"I... I'm really sorry about... that... Sempai... I... I... I..."

The detective cut him off.

"It's fine, Kuroba. Besides, this whole plot _is_ for me to get to know you better, right? Doesn't that include your flaws as well?"

"...thank you..."

"If you really want, I'll give you that guy's number."

"I... It's... It's... really fine..."

"No, I insist. Here. That's better, right?"

"...Sempai..."

"That would be what you call me."

"Sempai!"

Shinichi laughed at his kohai's expression, slipping the paper into his hand.

On that note, they parted.

Something inside the detective, could not be satisfied. Worse, the more he looked into things, the more parallels he could find between Kuroba and KID. It was insane. Their fear of "f-f-finny things", their love of slight of hand, and so and so on, until one could almost wonder where two such similar people could be found.

And roses shifted just the slightest bit under the moonlight; parting, as if they were being pulled away.

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><p><span>AN: I am so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry about this. I completely forgot in the midst of life and school and everything else. Please forgive me! I'll write two chapters a day until I can make this up, I am so sorry! Seriously, feeling like one would fall asleep at the drop of a hat probably isn't healthy, either...<span>


	14. Day 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

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><p>Wendsday.<p>

Shinichi awoke to a stormy sky. Outside, it was silent, as if someone had muted the world.

In hindsight, it seemed almost like a nasty omen of things to come.

First, Hakuba and Kuroba were arguing outside of his front door the moment Shinichi answered it. Then, they had to bicker throughout breakfast. Someone was trying to enjoy their coffee, for goodness sake! At least pretend to get along!

Next, all three of them needed to get to school together. That was not nearly as simple as it should have been, with everyone disagreeing on the slightest of issues.

For some reason, Shinichi found himself aslmost as if he were envious of Hakuba, his kohai's classmate, his kohai's good relationship with him, how friendly they are and such...

What happened next, however, topped that all off.

Ran decided to meet up with her good friend that day. They were to meet at the school gates, then discuss life.

With all the nonsense that morning, Shincihi completely forgot.

Now, he had to calm an ireful karate master.

"Shinichi, who's that?"

"Ah? Oh, you mean Hakuba-san.

"Yes! You're not...?"

"Do you really think so little of me? It's not really my fault if that guy decides to train me for a case."

"A... case...? But then... then..."

At that moment, one of Ran's best friends, Suzuki Sonoko, entered the scene.

"Shinichi, are you honestly going to go down that route? Haven't you ever seen a love triangle story before? It's obvious that he's after you! Oh goodness, and then you'll break poor Kuroba-kohai's heart, won' you? After all, it's not as if we ordinary people can win against you detectives."

"Sonoko, you're misunderstanding the situation. Hakuba-san isn't after me for that."

"Ah really? Why does he always butt in so sneakily, then?"

"He just really dislikes Kuroba."

The detective knew that, to Suziki Sonoko, his words sounded like excuses. Actually, to anyone who has seen the inside of a romance novel, they would. Still, it was the truth. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was the truth.

How was it that his morning just went from good to depressing in half a minute?

After that, the detective could simply not help but draw parallels between KID and Kuroba.

It looked so probable at times.

And roses danced with the wind under the faint moonlight, falling apart from each other.

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><p><span>AN: Ah goodness, I'm going to be so late for everything. Well, enjoy this very late chapter! Reviewing is caring!<span>

EDIT: I... got Sonoko's name wrong... how in the world did I do that? Well, it's fixed now.


	15. Day 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. Or a working internal clock.

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><p>Thursday.<p>

"Good morning, Sempai..."

That was Shinichi's wake-up call from Kuroba that day, along with a new conversation along the lines of muttered protests and whines.

Somehow, that had become the norm. Such thoughts of change and how fast things were going scared Shinchi. Tomorrow, February would be over, and then there were fourteen days after that for Shinichi to gather up his emotions.

It felt so short. It felt like an eternity after Valentine's day.

"Good morning, Kuroba," Shinichi replied, to the sound of angry mutters on the other side.

"Today, I will prove that you're KID!"**  
><strong>

Was that... could that be... Hakuba? And why was he at Kuroba's house?

"Hello? Kuroba? Is everything alright over there?"

Sounds of a struggle could be heard in the background, with the distinct mutters of... colourful language.

"Just go and break a leg you bloody-! Ah... Semapai... sorry about that... Hakuba came over to... say that I'm KID-sama... he tends to do this every month or so... so... it's not anything that..."

"Is that why he decided to recruit me?"

"Probably. What is it now you-! No~ way~. I'm not going to have you whispering strange things into Sempai's ear!"

"What happened? Oh wait, is Hakuba asking you for a turn on the phone?"

"...Yes... but..."

"He'll leave you alone if I answer, right? Give the phone to him, then."

"Sempai... your skills at deductions is really... at times... too much..."

"It'll be fine. He'll stop bothering you if you give him the phone, right? It's just for a few seconds, until he gets tired of talking to me."

After a bit more whispers of... colourful language, Hakuaba's voice came clear thought the phone.

"Good morning, Kudo-kun. I assume that Kuroba has informed you on my presence here, albeit with his own twist. I'm sure you know my opinion on the subject."

"Yes, I do."

"Then you should clearly see why I think that way! Can't you see the mounting parallels? The number of impossible coincidences? Although it's true that Nakamori-san has provided him with a useful alibi that one heist, they were sitting in a dark movie theatre. It's impossible to see anything clearly in there! Or perhaps you've failed as a detective, as a Sherlock Holmes fan, and let your growing adoration pull the wool over your eyes?"

A small seed of doubt lodged itself in the rich gardens of Shinichi's mind. Was it possible? Was he overlooking evidence? Could he have been so blinded by those strange heart palpitations he experienced as of late around his kohai? Could he have failed?

"Still, Kuroba says that he isn't KID. Maybe I want to trust someone for once."

"You're being naive. Look, I'll find you something you can't deny. What the-!"

A ringing crash could be heard in Kuroba's room. Then the aspiring magician's voice came on the phone.

"...Sorry Sempai... but..."

"I don't really mind. Hakuba was getting rather annoying. You said you're not KID, right? I'll take you for your word, in that case."

"...Sempai... I..."

"Anyway, do you want me to walk you to school?"

"Yay~! Thank you Sempai... um... could you also help me out with a history bit on political figures of the Meiji Restoration... after school...?"

"That's so romantic, Kuroba, a study date."

"Hey, at least it beats murder cases... it's so saddening that lovers can turn against each-other so easily... makes you wonder that there's any love left in the world..."

"That wasn't my fault. Plus Megure-keibu is an old friend and I though most people liked mystery stories. Besides, it's my duty to solve cases. Could I entrust you with putting my belief in love back together, Kuroba?"

"...'Kaito'..."

"Huh? I'm Kudo, Kudo Shinichi. Are you talking to yourself or something now-?"

"...'Kaito'... please call me that... please call me by my name."

His heartbeat sped up at that statement...

"K-Kaito."

...quicker and quicker, from a calm march..

"Yes?"

...speeding into a trot, changing into a canter...

"In that case, please call me Shinichi."

...morphing into a swift gallop...

"Shinichi..."

...beats merging together into a chaotic mess...

"I'll s-see you at your house, then. I'm hanging up."

...into the frenzy of a tarantella.

"...See you soon."

And roses, petals pulling almost inwards, stood quaking in the moonlight.

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><p><span>AN: Sorry for another late update... real life is crazy, and I accidentally deleted my work twice. This is going to be a major day, though, so it'll probably get faster from here. I really love the pseudo love triangle Hakuba brings in here; personally, I hate actual love triangles, so this is perfect. A few days ago, someone asked me if I had a secret life... if they're reading this, they can brag that they're right (not that they would be, since they probably don't even know this site exists... but still). Daylight savings time is probably going to drive me crazy this week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; it's a bit different from my usual writing style.<span>


	16. Day 15

Disclaimer: I own Detective Conan and Magic Kaito as much as I own Narnia. Now let's put two and two together to make four and decide that's impossible.

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><p>Friday.<p>

That day was most certainly among the strangest, if not the most strange, experience Shinichi found himself in. Yep, it was definitely up there.

And this is coming from a detective who seemed to make corpses rain around him.

That was a day to remember.

It started with a meeting at another café. His kohai, as per usual, had been playing pranks on passing strangers. Shinichi vaguely pondered whether he was breaking municipal building codes or traffic laws with the great pandemonium on the streets.

On one hand, he was in a food establishment, a building, and making a general bother of himself. On the other hand, he was disrupting the flow of traffic on the street outside... he took another sip of coffee, ah, Kaito really had impeccable taste...

It was at that moment, to his coffee-spitting astonishment, that he caught the glint of a knife. It was that woman over on the other table and...

...it was heading straight for the man sitting besides them...!

Almost as if on instinct, Shinichi grabbed her arm, prying the blade from her fingers. She fell down like a stack of potatoes into the arms of a surprised waiter.

The man stared in disbelief, his words falling into an incoherent string of shocked relief.

"You... you're my fathers greatest enemy... but why... Otowa Nadeshiko... finally... you're... but how... my vengeance..."

"Otowa Nadeshiko" spit back spitefully.

"I hate you too, you and all the rest of your kind that goes into your damn father's business! Why else would I do this? You've threatened my strength far too many times!"

Soon, a police officer came, to drag the killer away.

Kaito sat shaking in a chair.

"Kaito...? Is everything...?"

Tremulously, Shinichi wrapped his arms around his kohai, allowing him to bury his face in the detective's warm scarf.

"I'm really sorry... about this... it's just all to familiar to me... that and... and... everything else that happened... thank you... for saving me..."

"I won't mind if you burst into tears. It's natural; some wounds never do heal. Still, think about everything you have to hope for afterwards."

"Thank you... so much... Shinichi... you're so kind, so warm... thanks for everything..."

The detective comforted his kohai until dark. Then, the two walked together to Kaito's house.

It was only later when Shinichi remembered KID's last heist.

A plot of revenge, of memory, of love, of that murder of Crows... it came as a shock... he had never thought that such things could actually be behind everything. It came as such a coincidence, so similar to Kaito's muttered phrases.

And roses found themselves torn apart, as their moonlight-dusted petals quivered and their blooms tried in vain to stop the impending separation.

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><p><span>AN: Oh yay, another chapter. Real life's such a pain sometimes... I'll have to do so much for testing and everything... I've been so depressed all winter; I hope spring will put me in a calmer mood. I'm off to dreamland... thanks for reading, and a special thanks to everyone also reviewing. Hope you enjoyed.<span>


	17. Day 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito... do I look like I do? (Ah wait... no one can actually see me... but still...!)

* * *

><p>Saturday.<p>

"...Um... Shinichi...? Sempai...? Are you asleep...?"

The detective quickly snapped out of his daze.

"Ah, sorry about that Kaito. Just thinking about something."

"Please pay more attention next time... I was saying that a 'Megure-keibu' called for you... he's on the phone right now."

"Thanks, Kaito."

Shinichi quickly took the call.

"Hello? Megure-keibu? What's going on now..."

Still, something kept bothering him about yesterday. What was it? The case wasn't all that strange but...! And it really bothered him too, all the way throughout that day's study-date (which, for the first time, was being held in the detective's own home). History wasn't his worst subject, but he messed up way too often on Kaito's simple questions. And...

...what was this feeling growing in his heart?

Quickly, however, he stamped out such thoughts. Megure-keibu had a case for him. That was important. Everything else could wait.

"Kaito, I think I'll have to cut today's study session short. There's a case over at the library!"

The other boy looked somewhat disappointed.

"...Okay, Shinichi, do your best~! Make sure to stay safe... especially... with today's snow..."

"I won't be long; the thermostat's over by the door if you get cold. After that, do you want review more about Emperor Meiji, or...?"

"Yes...! I mean... if it's not a bother..."

"Ah well, I don't have much to do today. See you later."

"Come back soon..."

With that, Shinichi ran off to the library, rather glad that they didn't meet there that day. Two cases in two days (or even two on the same day) didn't faze the detective all that much, but it seemed that Kaito was another story. Strange, though... he didn't seem to be that sensitive last time they went to solve cases. Then did yesterday's events have some sort of personal connection?

For Shinichi, though, it reminded him of a story about a thief in white, a monocle, a crime ring like a murder of crows, and a legacy. Under the full moon, he had seen so much... it was too similar... and Hakuba's words...

Was his fellow detective's theory... correct? He didn't really ask Kaito about it yet, and if Kaito said 'no'...

...the detective wouldn't question it. But where had such blind trust come from?

When he got to the scene, the excitement of a mystery somehow failed to lighten his mood.

It was another story of a traitorous lover. One person who saw only money, failing to comprehend love in the process. Another one paid the price in blood. Such things happened daily, so why was he letting it get to him now?

He returned home exhausted.

"Ah... welcome back, Shinichi... what's wrong?"

"Just a bad case. Don't worry too much about it."

"...Do you still want some coffee, then, or are you going off to bed early?"

"I'll take coffee. Say, Kaito? Wait for a minute."

"Hmmm...?"

"Are you KID?"

"!"

"Oh, don't worry; it's not for Hakuba. It's just something I've been thinking about a lot recently, and I just wanted to hear it from you. I'll probably stop worrying about the matter if you tell me, so could you please...?"

"...Do you... trust me... that much...?"

"Somehow, yes. So, are you KID?"

"...No, I'm not. Don't say silly things like that, you were scaring me for a moment there~."

"Ah, as I thought. I'm sure you wouldn't lie to me the first time around, anyway. Sorry if I'm bothering you; it's just that today's case hit a little close to home."

"..."

"Well, then, what kind of coffee did you make? Oddly enough, I don't remember washing the dishes, sorry about that."

"Aoko taught me how to make black coffee... that's your favourite, right? I took care of that... but... I smashed a plate... sorry..."

"Thanks. You'd really make a good home maker, you know? The plate was probably bound to smash with how little I wash them."

"...Please don't say what I think your saying... honestly, food on plates can rot over time... reusing them..."

"Ran usually cleans up here, but she's gone off to see her lover. I've been pretty busy, too."

"Goodness, Shinichi...!"

Although their usual conversation and banter was accompanied by those habitual smiles, somehow Shinichi felt as if Kaito was in a world of his own that day.

And roses, petals growing heavier, seemed to melt into the moonlight; and softly, the reflected beams seemed to quiver.

* * *

><p><span>AN: It's snowing today! Close to the middle of March! The sparkling, desolate, snow-covered landscape was so lovely this morning... although this really reminds me about how bad I am at sticking to a schedule... sorry about that. Yay, the plot's advancing... Kaito and his lies as well. I love overly complicated situations~.<span>

Reviews are very much appreciated!


	18. Day 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. Let's all be glad that such a great series didn't need to suffer my lack of patience.

* * *

><p>Sunday.<p>

The next day, Kaito and Shinichi's study-date was interrupted by a Brit whose name rhymes with Sakuba Haguru.

"Kuroba! How dare you try and-! Oh, hello Kudo-san."

It was Hakuba Suguru, the famous British teen detective, son of the police commissioner, etc, etc, etc.

"Hello Hakuba," replied the teen magician. Suddenly, the room's temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

"Good morning," said Shinichi, a touch of exasperation in his voice.

"Wonderful weather, isn't it?" Hakuba commented, ignoring Kaito.

"Is this about KID again?"

"Still ignoring the evidence? Kudo-san, I really looked up to you, Sempai. Lately, however, you've abandoned all our Holmes principals. Are you going to turn your back to logic, reasoning, and all else of investigation?"

"Kaito told me he's not KID."

"Oh, it's 'Kaito' now? First-name basis? Do you trust him that much?"

Shinichi felt his heartbeat quicken. A testimony was the flimsiest of evidence; he already knew this from years of detective work. So why was he so reluctant to suspect Kaito? There was no hard evidence of guilt, still, Hakuba's words sounded so sane half the time.

"Do you have hard evidence? No? Well, then I'll put my trust in him. If this is the sole reason you decided to pay me a visit today, then I'd like to ask you to leave."

"Kudo-san...! Well, I originally came to ask for your opinion on another case. You have heard of the so-called 'Death on the Files' case in Okinawa, right?"

"It's the bank manager, as you no doubt already know."

"Ah, in that case I'll advise the police to persecute. Thank you. Goodbye, Kudo-san. Kuroba, take good care of the precious Heisei Holmes, would you? We wouldn't want him to be... betrayed, would we?"

With that, Hakuba left.

Shinichi looked over to Kaito. The other boy was trembling, face ashen. Why? Hakuba had only talked about KID. Was it that trust thing, then? Or was that really it? The great detective certainty of anything quite fled him at that point. He just had to ask again.

"Kaito?"

"S-Shinichi...? Sorry about that... I was..."

"Kaito, you're not, you know, KID, right?"

"I... I... no... it's just Hakuba going around... shooting off his mouth... again..."

"Then what's there to worry about?"

"...thanks for believing in me... Shinichi..."

"Well, you've already said you're not KID, so what's there to disbelieve?"

Somehow, it sounded so much like a hopeful worm dangled to fish for confirmation. Since when had he become so weak?

"It's... nothing... just... I wished... I thought that... Sorry about this, Shinichi... I'll be going home... thanks for everything..."

"Kaito...?"

"Bye... Shinichi..."

With that, the other boy tore his eyes away from the detective, practically sprinting.

"Kaito?!"

Why did this remind him of some day? It was like KID's last heist. Shinichi's own recount was hazy from that final bullet wound, but he was pretty sure he could piece it all together from that and the reports...

...he remembered, though, that the final chain of events started with him sprinting up, charging after the phantom theif.

.

.

.

_He was sprinting up, charging after that phantom thief._

_But today was not an ordinary heist._

_As KID ran and ran, as if almost panicked, he abandoned all pretext of confidence. Investing all his engery, instead, into the goal of getting away as fast as possible._

_"Damn it!" he cried as Shinichi escaped yet another trap._

_"Give up already! I can see your plan, KID!" Shinichi shot back as they scambled up the stairs higher, higher, higher until they nearly found themselves on the roof, scraping the clouds..._

_...faster, faster, faster as the last door flew open..._

_"Meitantei-san! Watch out...!"_

_...followed by the familiar bang! of gunpowder. In a push and a sudder, the game of pursuit ended. All pretenses of alacrity dropped like hundred-pound dumbells in an instant. The detective felt pain spread through his nerves like an unstoppable deluge, inondating his senses as he was falling, falling, falling down. It was already too late to turn back and reconsider._

_"MEITANTEI-SAN!"_

_The pain flowed without any sign of stopping. He wasn't in shock, no where near that, because the detective already knew it could happen. If he could save him, that great phantom, that matchless magician, that scarred soul..._

_._

_._

_._

Shinichi couldn't remember who it was behind the mirage of the great KID. He had known, at some point, but it was an on-the-spot deduction, something in his short-term memory, and getting a concussion from going down stairs the wrong way really didn't do wonders for that.

The report detailed a plan he put together as an ambush. Shinichi could barely recall it happening, although Jody said it was brilliant, apart from him getting shot. While assassins were occupied with KID, the FBI and local forces would take them down. The scheme had suceeded, against many odds. One by one, other golden flakes of information came to light, leading investigating down to the motherload, the gold vein of the issues.

KID's Ravens had collapsed upon themselves, as did eventually the Black Organization Shinichi knew and detested.

Still, he had the vaguest impression of whispers from a certain phantom theif pressed into his ear, of a murdered father, of finding the one truth, of how it seemed it would destroy him, and of finding love admist this.

.

.

.

_"Meitantei-san... I'm sorry you had to break my policy. Especially that it was you. I'll meet you again in on Valentine's Day... and... if one can hope... perhaps you'll deign to hear me out and maybe we'll even get coffee. I'll make sure you get yours black, okay? Please, don't die now... I can't live with myself if you do, Shinichi... dangsin-eul salanghabnida (love you)..."_

* * *

><p><span>AN: Hello, I'm back. Wow, this chapter's really late. I feel terrible about that. I've been a bit down, what with things changing, and I feel almost as if I've had too much energy to do anything at night, including sleep, most times. It's really horrible, because you know you need to sleep, and study, and et cetera, but you really can't seem to relax enough to think about anything. Then I'm really tired during the day time. <span>

It's probably been speculation that I'm a procrastinator, since I write really late... and then later and later and later... I hope you all still like this fic despite its problems and maybe liked this chapter, though I think my writing's horrible when I just start something or restart a project.  
><span>

I hope I at least got the Korean ("love you"), if not the timing right... I had to use google translate and it's not like Japanese where I've watched so much that I can practically guess at meanings half the time. I think I'm using too much of Kaito from that MK episode with the theme park trip with Aoko for this fic...  
><span>


	19. Day 18

Monday.

The air felt almost sickening in its stillness the next day. It felt almost as if something were missing, as if the birds' daily cries were silent.

But no, the detective's sleepy mind found, the birds were in perfect order. No, it was a hint of humanity's artificial sounds, of technology...

...then it hit him, hard, that Kaito hadn't called. For the first time in a relatively short time that seemed so much longer, his morning was not pierced with a wake-up ringtone. It felt almost too peaceful, like that "memory" of his from the heist.

Why did he still think of that? It was probably just a trick of his mind, a delusion brought on by blood loss. But then did that mean that he loved...? No, that wasn't true; he merely wanted to know who was behind the genius. Why did he want to unmask KID then? Why did his emotions now protest against that at all costs...?

To add to the ever-expanding pandemonium of sentiments, Kaito could not be found anywhere. His cell phone was off. Asking Nakamouri-san only produced a look and a muttered, "He's not here. He said so himself." Half-glimpses caught and chased disappeared within seconds.

Why? The logical, deducting part of his brain concluded that it had something to do with yesterday. What part of it though? Again, why?

Shinichi found himself in a bad mood. To add insult to injury, he unwillingly took company with an inexhaustible supply of conceited Tokyo police that day due to an unexpected murder.

All this while he was thinking... if Kaito wouldn't come and tell him what was wrong, then he would have to find out for himself...

...still, the detective found himself wondering why the magician didn't yet trust him.

.

.

.

The bus wait and its noisy plethora of sounds were antagonizing. They seemed to swirl into a deluge, bombarding his ears, indistinctly buzzing, buzzing, until...

..."Kudo-san!? What are you doing here?"

Front and center in the detective's field of vision was Hakuba Saguru.

"Hakuba-kun?"

"Hello. You wouldn't be going to visit Kaito, would you?"

"I am, probably the same as you."

"As expected of the Heisei Holmes. How disapointing it is, then, that you don't see why Kaito's dodging you. He practically fled when you told him you trusted him... almost as if he had a dirty little secret."

"Accusing him again is not going to help your reputation."

"Blindly trusting and biased investigations aren't going to help yours, either. I'm sure that you'll find out I'm right, in the end. Or could it be that you already knew it somewhere in your unconcious mind?"

"Well, I try to keep my mind open if my only source is someone with an obvious grudge. Kaito could pull of those tricks, that much is true, but it would absturd to think that no other youthful, Japanese national with plenty of creativity could not."

Even as he said that, Shinichi still felt something stir in agreement with Hakuba's statements. Why? The evidence was slim, yet something in him recognized it. Did it mean anything?

Hakuba led him through the suburbs with disturbing familiarity to the neighbours. Kaito's home provided a quintessential view of modern Japanese convenience had its windows not been so empty and the rest of it so still, unmodified for at least ten years if the weathering was any indication.

No one answered the door.

And roses fell dark as the sky was shouded with clouds.

* * *

><p><span>Yes, this is late... I fell asleep twice while writing this last night. Reviews are like metaphorical flowers, you can never have too many~ (something based off of a quote from Mother Teresa... except you really can have <em>too many<em> children, that's what money and overpopulation are about).


	20. Day 19

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK. Don't sue me... I really need to get to sleep right now.

* * *

><p>Tuesday.<p>

The sky was as dark as Shinichi's hair, a deluge of bucketfuls of water pouring down. Stormy winds blew through the city, raging like an ill-tempered child, or perhaps the conflicting emotions in the detective's heart.

His instinct of curiousity needed to know. His logical mind agreed. Some other part of him - something that seemed new, something he couldn't place - didn't want to find out. It wanted to just accept blindly and chase after Kaito.

Kaito, who had declared love for him on what was (for Shinichi, at least) the first day that met. Kaito who had run after him, only to dash away again. Somehow along the way, it almost felt as if their positions could have revered.

Needless to say, Shinichi arrived at Kaito's house very much soaked to the bone. The day that someone bothered to gather evidence on a possible KID suspect when even Hakuba Saguru had given up finally saw light. Now to see the sun rise up from the west...

He rang the doorbell, trembling all over. The detective could spot a light inside, so that meant someone was home, at least.

His efforts were rewarded with an indistinct holler and a bucketful of mud poured on his head.

The door opened.

A woman, Kaito's mother if he had to guess from previous photos, arrived. She looked rather apologetic about the entire situation.

"I'm sorry, my son tends to play tricks on people... I'm Kuroba Chikage and you would be...?"

"Kudo Shinichi, I'll be in your care."

"As my son is in yours," she replied, leaving him no doubt that she knew exactly what type of relationship they had, "But that is neither here nor there. Why don't you borrow the shower for a bit, then stay for tea?"

"If it doesn't trouble you," Shinichi said, stripping off his shoes and socks. "Where should I put these?"

"Oh, I'll just take them. The bathroom's on the second floor, between the bedrooms. You can clean yourself up in there; be sure to dry your hair so you don't catch a cold!"

"Pardon the intrusion."

The shower was warmly welcomed by the detective's mud-encased skin. Why some people paid small fortunes to slather the stuff on, he would never know. He dried himself out with a towel, putting on the blue shirt and white pants his hostess had provided, thanking his lucky stars that his underwear was not soiled.

Hunting around for a hair dryer, Shinichi noted that - despite all indications that this bathroom usually only serviced men - there was a notable amount of make-up. It wasn't like casual, everyday things either, with silicone pads and several brands of everything from cheap to very posh. There was a fair lot of grease paint too, as if this was his mother's cosmetics table.

Finally finding what he needed, the detective turned the device on and thought about KID and his disguises.

A _thump!_ in the other room roused him from his thoughts.

As if by instinct, he was out of the bathroom and peering into an adjacent bedroom in record time. He thought he saw, for a fleeting moment, a human movement as he shoved the door open. There was no one.

"Everything all right?" quieried Kuroba-san from halfway up the stairs. Shinichi stuffed his thoughts to the back of this head, preparing himself for a speech. Or a tirade. Whichever one Kaito's mother leaned toward, it did not particularly matter.

The detective allowed her to drag him downstairs to listen to Kaito's first magic tricks, his father's death, his changing from a toddler to a boy, and his craziest childhood shenanigans.

Shinichi was let out with an umbrella and a smile.

And roses, as if they were weathervanes, leaned ever-so-slightly away from the incomming wind.

* * *

><p><span>Hello... I fell asleep again... and I've had a headache for much of the day. Reviews are like sunlight - very welcome when its been cloudy all day, like it has been here.<span>

I'm bad at writing conversations, not surprising considering how much time I spend avoiding them.

If anyone's seen MK, you will know what's going on *wink*.


	21. Day 20

Disclaimer: I do not claim any right to DCMK. Now that I think about it, I don't claim any rights to the Tower of Pisa either.

* * *

><p>Wednesday.<p>

Petrichor, the smell of rain, filled the detective's nose as he ran from school. Storms had battered much of Japan through the night, only ending late in the afternoon. Puddles lined the streets as news anchors on public screens commented on the record rainfall, slowly switching to global warming and climate change.

Shinichi was suspicious. Intensely suspicious. The last few days' events filled every wrinkle of brain, replaying again and again.

Kaito's magician genius, paired with the disguise make-up in his bathroom. Very few women had that much make-up and there was no sign of his mother using it very often. Besides, none of the make-up had expired yet, not even the mascara.

The person he might have or have not seen in Kaito's bedchamber. If they had been there, how had they left? Not by window, for sure, but in hindsight... his room seemed almost too small for the floorspace it should occupy. A secret chamber?

Hakuba's insistances, coming from someone irrational once in a blue moon. Even if the great detective was to ignore them, he could not deny that Kaito occasionally gave off the same playful presence as the phantom theif.

Shinichi pressed on the doorbell, cursing mildly when he was showered with pink dye.

The door opened, revealing Kuroba-san who apologised profusely. Again, she offered him the shower, advising him to just reuse yesterday's clothes.

The detective did his best to not stain the floor, walls, or furniture on his way up. He quickly stripped from his clothes and rinsed the gunk off. Then he pulled on the white pants and didn't bother to button up the shirt in his haste. Years of living with his mother had forced him into the habit of never walking around completely shirtless.

Then, leaving the water running, he snuck into Kaito's room.

It was rather neat, considering his kohai's penchant for pranks and messy dyes. There was a bit of scattered homework, sure, but it seemed experimental tricks were kept to one shelf (or rather, exploding from it). He recognised them as so-called "experimentals" Kaito had used on passers-by during their last meeting at Poirot... but that was neither here nor there.

The only thing slightly out-of-place was the life-sized KID portrait hung flush against a wall.

That's when Shinichi noticed that it was not Kaitou KID in the image. At least not the KID he knew and dealt with. Someone with such a similar face to your own is rather hard to forget and this one was not it. It was too old.

Two KIDs? That was of course a possibility. Kaito's father had died close to when the first KID, as Shinichi dubbed him, disappeared.

Then where was Kaito trained? Then again, hearing about Kaito's antics and his mop-wielding childhood friend, it would not be hard to say such things must have come rather naturally.

Shinichi confirmed his theory that this room was too small for its floorspace. A secret room then. Slowly, deliberately, he pushed on the portrait...

...only to stumble down the metaphorical rabbit hole into Wonderland, which looked rather like a concept of KID's studio, right into one Kuroba Kaito whose eyes were on the detective's chest.

"S-Shinichi..." the magician-cum-thief whispered, like when they first met as sempai and kohai.

"You're KID. Why did you lie?" the detective spat, a feeling of betrayal - _was_ that what it was when one was shattering on the inside - welling up inside of him.

"Shinichi... I could hardly have told you, could I...?"

Kaito's features suddenly broke from their perfect mask, pulling into begging anguish.

The detective was too broken himself to answer the plea. Instead, he let his tears fall.

"You could have. I really wouldn't turn you in, not like that. You could have told me when Hakuba first appeared in our lives and I would have helped you. You didn't need to tell me such falsehoods. Wouldn't it have hurt more for you to keep it all to yourself, in the end?"

"S-Shinchi... I... I..."

"Just stop. Please. Goodbye, Kuroba."

He dragged himself away. Behind him, soft sobs could be heard. His heart fractured all over again at the pain in them, tearing new mental cuts. Tears ran down his cheeks in a warm stream and his breath came out in ragged gasps.

Something inside of him snapped into an unfamiliar emotion. He was becoming more and more accustomed to them lately. This time, he was withering on the inside, like he did a bit when someone lied to him. Only... only... this was somehow so much more like rotting everywhere, as if he suddenly had a huge Kaito-shaped hole in his life that just fell away. A hole that was so much of him now. A hole he couldn't even start to try to fill.

Kuroba-san was waiting when he dashed down the stairs. She sighed with a rueful look on her face.

"Well, I can understand that sentiment. I'll send Hakuba-kun over with your clothes the next time he comes over. Don't catch a cold in the rain."

"You aren't going to...?"

"You have a minute to get out of here. Otherwise, looking half-dead or not, you're in for it."

Shinichi took the warning and quickly slid on his socks and shoes. He wiped his tears somewhat and took the bus back home.

He couldn't fall asleep.

And roses stilled, as if in the eye of a storm, as if someone had drained the life out of them.

* * *

><p><span>This came out from my desire to kill off a character every time I got stuck with the plot, as well as my musings on how being dogged by crime might affect someone. Definitely trust issues. Kaito's mom isn't really all that mad because I suppose she will be scary like that (I'm really scrapping the barrel here, based on her informing Aoko about Kaito's fishy fears to get to her son) and because Shinichi probably really looked half-dead. You really couldn't have any enjoyment out of getting revenge from someone so pitiful.<span>

Or maybe I'm just tired because it's after midnight and I like to wake up at dawn. Take your pick.

Reviews are author food. If anyone has any suggestions for a driven group of fanatics, I'd be glad to hear them! I need a crazy lot of them for later events and nothing's set in stone at the moment.  
><span>


	22. Day 21

Disclaimer: It would be nice to own DCMK and the Taj Mahal. Unfortunately, I don't.

Note: "Shaa," is the sound of rain, as seen in various manga translations from time to time. It sounds better than English rain onomatopoeia, words that sound like sounds, so it's here. "Doki," and "dokun," are two versions of a heartbeat, since "lub dub" does not sound nice at all.

* * *

><p>Thursday.<p>

Shaa! Shaa! Sheets of rain water fell, once again encasing the city in humidity and grey.

Even the gloomiest of downcast days, however, were no match for the sheer melancholic miasma of one Kudo Shinichi.

It still hurt, somewhere inside of him. He didn't know exactly how much. It would take a while to sort out, that he knew for sure. Deep down, though, the detective was sure that he wanted Kaito by his side.

Kaitou KID had probably just been another criminal. He was, however, an honorable one and he tried to keep everyone safe despite, well, everything. Past breaking and entry as well as several counts of resisting arrest, he hadn't done anything yet. Nothing that he did was in spite, really, and Shinichi felt reservations about sending someone like that to jail.

That just didn't add up, somehow. _He was the great Heisei Holmes for crying out loud_, above rationalization, above sentiment, above such an easily clouded judgement.

Except he really wasn't. He wanted to just be selfish to apologise to Kaito and get on with his life with said thief.

He only desperately hoped that he hadn't lost him along another road in this path he had chosen.

Whispers sounded behind his back, rousing him from his thoughts. He turned to see a gathering of somewhat familiar classmates, hunched over a rhinestone-encased smart phone.

"Look! Look!"

"Eh!? No way!"

"A new KID challenge!?"

"It sounds oddly romantic..."

The detective lept up, pushing himself to the crux of the group.

Upon the minature glowing display was the image of a snowy note card marred by black print. Shinichi memorized it, not yet ready to think about the words. Beneath that was a signature and a grinning KID doodle.

Do-kun! Do-kun! Shinichi felt his heart pound. He bowed his head, concealing a smile. _The game is afoot_, as Sherlock Holmes might say.

He hasn't forgiven Kaito and he might never. He hasn't figured out how to trust him again and he doesn't know if he can care for someone without that.

"Kudo-kun?" asked another boy, slightly confused at the great detective's reaction.

"A-ah, sorry about that; I was thinking about something," he replied with a gesture to dismiss the issue. He stalked away, murmurs of the riddle and his intellect dogging him back to his seat.

Shaa! Shaa! The rain pelted down on the roof, water dancing across the windows. And one Kudo Shinichi sat with a strange longing settled in his chest, while water washed away old traces for a new beginning.

And roses fell dark in the moist world of falling fluid.

* * *

><p><span>I had a pounding headache and a deliberating stomach ache yesterday. Plus this chapter got partially deleted, which is always depressing.<span>

Reviews are like sunshine to the falling rain outside. It's really been raining a lot lately, both this story and in real life. Also, _any_ ideas on crazy groups are much-needed! Terrorists, a cult, a stalker-type fanclub, anyone willing to break the law for some purpose!


	23. Day 22

Disclaimer: I do confess to not owning DCMK. I also confess to being ticklish.

* * *

><p>Friday.<p>

Last night was an uncomfortable singularity for the detective, trying but never quite succeeding at falling asleep, trying but never quite succeeding at distracting himself, and trying but never quite succeeding at reading through KID's riddle. Then it was three in the morning and he allowed himself to digest it out of sheer exhaustion.

"In three dawns I will take the heart's delight/Cupid's treasure in its cage of sky-high moulded stone/A plea for his love in ending twilight/The quiver's last arrow be granted time to atone?"

Shinichi fingered the riddle, printed out on the daily paper. Delivered to the public yesterday, the detective wondered whether there could be any more agonizing a wait. No, not even any of the times he found himself with a serial killer in close quarters could compare.

He also pondered on what kind of care he cared for Kaito with. It seemed... like something Ran and his parents might describe, or something he heard briefly from a murderer before.

The puzzle itself was child's play. "Cupid's treasure" in "sky-high moulded stone" was the golden Prince's Surprise diamond at the marble-plated Cloud Tower. It was the gem of the last heist - KID's only botched theft - thus the 'atone'.

There was also a plea for lovers separated to reunite, despite great trials. It was in the legend of the god of love himself falling in love with a mortal woman, then tricked into seeing his face by jealous sisters. As a punishment, she had to undergo great trials to reunite with her lover again, immortal.

Why did it matter so much ? Why did his heart clench at the thought of losing him? Why did he feel ill at the thought of all KID's fans?

The question was now not whether he had heard Kaito, nor was it whether he would go. No, it was the world of _why? _all around him, of thoughts and ponderings he had only heard of from second-hand accounts from Ran and equally enigmatic things from his parents and criminals.

Just as the noticed the sunset, after a breathless day in a new world, his maudlin, sleepy thoughts might have had the answer.

_He was in lov_-

The detective fell asleep, exhausted but somewhat satisfied.

And roses perked up, petals still plump, as if they could sense the end of the storm raging on.

* * *

><p><span>I hope you all enjoyed this. I used my unfortunately extensive memories on falling asleep when you shouldn't, so it might be a bit strange. Reviews are always welcome, as are ideas for my failing insane group idea search. I promise this will make sense in a few days.<span>

Shinichi will figure things out by then, too.


	24. Day 23

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own DCMK. I do claim to having bad sleeping habits, though.

_Italic_ _Passages _- Memories.

* * *

><p>Saturday.<p>

Shinichi quietly watched the television, barely taking any of it in. Since the gemstone had been found - undoutably on Hakuba's deductions - in her uncle's possession, Sonoko got a plethora of interviews. Each was as mindless as the next, but she somehow seemed to enjoy it.

"So, Sonoko-chan, you're a big KID fan, am I right?" each one of them began.

(If only that reporter were the one to deal with her pulling them to a remote location at every ungodly hour. Then they could, presumably, be sure.)

"I'm his number one fan!"

"And what do you have to say about his recent resurgence? Any theories?"

"I'm wonderful! I'd love to see KID-sama again! I love you, KID-sama! As for theories, I think that he just couldn't stay away from us..."

Shinichi felt somewhat choked and overwhelmed that he got chosen out of half of Japan. Scratch that, nearly all of Japan. He felt insignificant and insecure... seriously, why Kaito worried over the girls at high school, the detective would never know.

_He woke up earlier that day remembering that he finally figured out his sentiments. Love. Of course. Now that he thought again, it was obvious. It seemed almost somewhat inevitable that it would be either this, friendship, or brotherhood. The last two, he was pretty sure, did not involve a fluttering heart, possessiveness, and whatever else he felt._

_It seemed kind of wrong to blame someone else for his dense head, but these emotions didn't really describe any kind of love he ever heard of before._

_Ran and Sonoko's teen novels described something else, more full of rushing blood, rushing envy, rushing past them and almost going catatonic in conversations. That wasn't this._

_His parents' love was more similar, although it was more like dancing in circles together, more mature. That wasn't this._

_Hattori and Kazuha were hot-tempered but bashful. That wasn't this. All the criminals, who had committed murder and immoral deeds under its flag were obsessive, self-destructive, and wrathful. That wasn't this._

_In bedtime fairy tales, it was frivolous and maddening. That wasn't this._

_Then, he got a call. For one, breath-taking second, he thought it was Kaito._

_"Hello?"_

_"Good to hear from you, Kudo-san," a cool, polite voice says on the other end. It's Hakuba._

_Trying not to sound too disappointed, Shinichi replies, "And from you. Did you get it already?"_

_"Tomorrow, at dusk to twilight, he'll try to steal the Prince's Surprise from Cloud Tower. And you?"_

_"That just about sums it up. Do you mind telling the KID Force I'll be there?"_

_"No problem, so long as you're actually going to h-e-l-p. There was also a strange bit hidden inside the riddle you know. I'll be it was a summons from Kaito. He's KID, you found out, so that's why the two of you aren't seeing each other. Am I right?"_

_Shinichi doesn't get a chance to reply before Hakuba laughs and moves on._

_"Of course, you've fallen in love with him Of course, it's sentiment that becomes the fly in the ointment. You would know this too from our dear idol Sherlock Holmes, wouldn't you? But Kaito is a criminal, above all else. He's a celebrity thief, but no more and no less than any other."_

_It's too late, Shinichi thinks, too late for that. He's already decided._

_"Honestly Hakuba, you're really going to take that route again? After being disproven time after time? I do believe that you've handcuffed yourself to Kaito once during a KID heist."_

_A scoff is heard from across the line, then, "How disappointing. Heisei Holmes doesn't even want justice like everybody seems to think. You're not that much different from me, in that case."_

While he was pondering this over, Kaito's childhood friend, Nakamouri Aoko, burst into his bedroom with a great _slam! _of the doors, nearby wall cracking under the force.

"KUDO SHINICHI!" she yelled, an ever-thickening miasma of demonic rage gathering around her.

She looked like Ran's reincarnation lost in time. Needless to say, Shinichi was most definitely _not_ afraid for this life (cough, cough).

A growl bubbled up from her throat as she continued in even darker tones, "You bastard! I'll show you for playing around!"

A mop seemingly just appeared from thin air and the girl raised it. Well, that solved the issue of how Kaito learned acrobatics, at any rate.

Then she sighed, "I want this disagreement resolved within a week. If not, well... you'll know what'll happen..."

The detective nodded.

And roses glowed again, faintly but still there.

* * *

><p><span>Sorry this is late! I hope you all liked this. I can't wait to write the heist! Reviews are always warmly welcomed!<span>

Hakuba is being a bit more horrible than in strict canon, but it gets his point across that he thinks KID is just a criminal and that he investigates for pleasure. 

The whole reincarnation thing is from Buddism's influence in Japan (I hope I didn't get it too wrong), the idea of being reincarnated after your death based on how your life played out. Do good things and become a human, do bad things and you'll be a lowly animal.

And I just realized. Feburary has 28 days, not 30. Goodness, I feel so obtuse.  
><span>


	25. Day 24

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK.  
><span>

* * *

><p>Sunday.<p>

It was a bitterly cold March day and Shinichi shivered lightly in the breeze. The sky was painted with clouds of gray, dark and so heavy that they looked like they were about to fall.

The detective was perfectly cheerful in spite of that. There was no corpse. No armed robbery had happened. No kidnappings. There was not even a lost cat (which may or may not emerge from a building, fur matted with blood; it's a long story). Nothing to deduct from the calm before the storm of KID's heist.

Cloud Tower, in its simplest description was a wraped skyscraper oddly covered in marble, a strange phenomenon for being built just a year ago. In more complex terms, its structure was of the decontructivism style, wraped walls and dancing lines aplenty, it was several hundred meters tall, it was encased in a marbe shell to drive home that it was high enough to scrape clouds, as well as earthquake-proof.

Inside, Nakamouri Ginzo and his KID force (and Hakuba, though he could be lumped together with them) patrolled the halls, cleared except for KID's most ardent fans. It was five hours before the heist, after all.

And then there was Shinichi, lingering outside of the building. He smiled at a fake curator and entered the building.

Cupid's love would answer the plea.

.

.

.

Little did Shinichi know that this would be another heist no one could forget.

It started as per usual, security thick as fog and Nakamouri-keibu right in the midst of it all. The lights suddenly dimmed and flickered off, to the creative swearing of the personnel...

...the chase began.

It was improbable, no matter what Nakamouri-keibu (now covered in pink dye) said, for KId to have escaped the room except from the gallery doors. The room itself was sealed and the air vents were too small for Kaito to get anywhere conveniently. The doors' guards said they hadn't seen anything.

Heists, ever since he was dragged to one by an overzealous Sonoko, were his favourite puzzles. It was always enjoyable to test one's wits with a rare person of equal level, even more so when fatalities came as a surprise. That's why it _mattered_ so much when he found the Ravens.

He found it mattered more so when he fell in love with Kaito.

Shinichi smirked as that same "curator" edged out of view. The "lady" grinned back with a KID-esque wink.

And then the back wall of the room fell, pulled by hiding doves, revealing that it was made of styrofoam.

A deluge of fans burst in. Shinichi ran, not for them, but to the door, away from the commotion.

Nakamouri-keiby spotted a decoy flying away on its hang-glider. For once, Shinichi made no move to correct them. When would they ever _learn_? Looking over, he saw Hakuba incapacitated, probably from laughing gas.

Running down the corridors, he made a beeline for the elevators, pressing the button for the rooftop greenhouses. In moments, there was a metalic _ding_.

The doors slid open, revealing Kaito jumping up at the noise.

"_Of course_ you took the elevators, I should have known better," he mutters, smiling somewhat sheepishly at Shinichi.

"At least it's effective. If I've correctly deciphered Ran's rambling fantasies, this is a very romantic location, too."

"You couldn't tell?" Kaito asks somewhat pouting. "Oh right, this is the guy that's been taking me to crime scenes with lovers turning against each other for dates..."

For a moment, they shared a laugh. Then Kaito's face pulled itself into an apologetic expression.

"Shinichi... about, well, this..."

"It's fine. Don't think I've forgiven you for the lying, but I do still want to..." Shinichi's face turned red at this point, his voice shrinking, "...date you."

"I should explain it better, right? It started at the first heist, KID's return... after the next one, I found out my father was KID and decided to dress up to confront the fake... it was Jii-san, my father's former assisstant. After that, he told me that my father was murdered by the Ravens... I decided to keep on baiting to see what would happen," Kaito said, voice slightly trembling.

Shinichi nodded for him to go on, offering a handkerchief.

Kaito refused it and continued, "I caught an opportunity and followed them back to this house where they revealed their plan to find... Pandora, they called it... a gemstone that would cry tears of immortality every thousand years when a certain comet would show. It reveals itself by glowing red in the full moon's light. I didn't want anyone to fight over it anymore, so I decided to beat them to the catch and destroy it... and... well..."

"Kaito... thanks for telling me."

"You're sure you don't want to turn me in...?"

"No. I'm sure everyone is rather happy with the several-billion-yen in economic growth you've generated. Plus, well, I've decided you matter a lot... to me..."

"This isn't the gem... would you mind it terribly if I...? No, that's silly... forget about it."

"If you want to."

Kaito beamed like Shinichi at a Sherlock Holmes fan club.

The detective held out a hand. As their fingers laced, Shinichi staggered, shock spreading as he put a hand to his shoulder.

It came back red.

And then it all went black.

And roses, blooming wide, shivered.

* * *

><p><span>Oops... this is... late. I hoped all of you enjoyed reading this (except maybe the part about Shinichi getting hurt again; that would be slightly worrying) (I haven't been shot before, so I'm not really sure how accurate this is, sorry about that). Reviews are always appreciated! Ideas on groups of crazy people are also very much appreciated!<span>


	26. Day 25

Disclaimer: I don't own, nor claim to own DCMK or knowledge of hospital procedure and treatment for getting shot.

* * *

><p>Monday.<p>

Bee-p. Bee-p. Bee-p.

Machines whirred in a flurry of flickering light and artificial noises around him. There was a needle in his arm, something burgundy flowing through it. Blood.

Oh, he was shot.

His hand feels empty.

.

.

.

Bee-p. Bee-p. Bee-p.

He sees a white ceiling above him, his vision shifting in and out of focus, grasps the generic sheets beneath him, and smells lingering bleach. He doesn't feel much of anything, though he can deduce the reason quite easily from the machinery and being shot.

His shoulder felt a bit stiff, though. It still hurt.

A gust of white comes toward him, caressing his wound.

A kiss on the forehead and it closes his eyes. The detective sleeps.

.

.

.

Bee-p. Bee-p. Bee-p.

Groggy, he sits up. Someone gently presses a cool glass of water into his hand.

Lavender-tinted eyes stare into his azure ones.

A face resembling his own greets him.

It's Kaito.

"What happened?" Shinichi asks, still too dazed from whatever they gave him to figure it out.

"A yakuza gang was after this stone too... someone paid them a pretty penny... they decided to ambush me... to eliminate me and take it... they shot... you..." the other boy stays between calming breaths. His sheets feel slightly damp near Kaito, Shinichi notices.

The detective runs his fingers though the magician's hair, silently comforting. Kaito leaned into the touch.

"Shinichi... I'll fit you into a bright pink bullet vest if it's the last thing I do...! The ambulance outside took you here... the gang got arrested."

"Sorry for making you worry so much, Kaito."

"It's not really your fault... just... anyway... shouldn't you be resting?"

"So should you."

"Go to sleep. Tokyo can live without you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Kaito. I-"

And then everything went black again.

And roses basked in serene moonlight with a glimmering sheen.

* * *

><p><span>I hoped you all like this bit of fluff. Reviews are always appreciated! I pieced this together from the DC anime and from when I got into foreign hospitals for mosquito bites. It happens more often than it should and the whole scenario sounds ridiculous considering I'm not an aid worker in the tropics, but they always end up swelling really badly and so on.<span>

On another note: did anyone else realize that you could die from getting shot in the shoulder? I kind of got it after getting into BBC's Sherlock, but I never really thought about it before. In murder mysteries, they usually just get the head, chest, neck, or stomach, so I was rather surprised.


	27. Day 26

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK.

* * *

><p>Tuesday.<p>

Sunlight streamed through windows as a pair of eyelids fluttered open, revealing eyes mirroring the flawless sky. Hands fumbled for another pair, before resting upon a paper on the bedside table.

"I'll be off to school. Be back right afterwards, Kaito," the detective read aloud, somewhere between disappointed and relieved. On one hand, he really wanted to spend the day with the magician thief. On the other, he really needed to buy him a return present. Between Hakuba dogging him with accusations, the discovery of Kaito's secret night job, and getting shot, he had forgotten that White Day was two days away.

Getting up, he asked one of the nurses for a magazine... maybe he could ask someone to actually do the buying for him.

.

.

.

Several publications and many, many advertisements later, the detective was slowly narrowing it down to a single idea (two to three times the price of the original gift, as per a convention a nurse had kindly told him), when he looked up to find his vision blocked by a human arm.

His eyes looked down the length to the broken wall, his mouth falling open and eyebrows rising into his hair in shock.

He looked the other way, revealing Ran, anger written across her face. The detective shot up (not at all afraid for his life, cough, cough).

"Good morning," he replied, his eyes widening at the image before him. Perhaps ignoring the blatant rage and demonic aura before him was not very advisable? How did Ran get in here anyway?

A quivering receptionist in the doorway provided him with all the answers.

"SHINCHI...!"

"Nobody knew that the yakuza even knew about the gem...?" Shinichi stated, as if in askance for forgiveness.

"..."

The detective gulped, eyes growing into platters.

"Really, we were all caught by surprise! Besides..." oh, how it demolished his sense of shame to do this, "...I, uh, kind of need your help to buy a... White Day... present..."

It worked, though, and her friend Sonoko jumped in from the background, diverting Ran's anger.

"You're replying 'yes', right? What did you get - you do know about repaying a gift with one three times its value, don't you?"

"Yeah, a nurse informed me," the detective replied somewhat nervously. Would it work?

"HEY, I'M NOT DONE YET...!" Ran cried in protest, in vain.

"Do it later, then. So, it's that kohai, right? What are you thinking about?"

"This," he replied, face softening in a mixture of relief and his love for Kaito, as he motioned towards a box of hard candies moulded into a three-dimensional puzzle.

"A rose?" Ran asked, rage gone and curiosity in its place.

"How romantic! So he's got a common interest with you, then?" Sonoko exclaimed, immersing herself in fantasies.

"I've already ordered one," the detective told them, "so can you please pick it up for me? You might want to give it on the day of since Kaito will be visiting."

"Sure."

"Leave it to the great me!"

The two girls left as the detective closed magazines and ads, stacking them into a neat pile. It would be rather hard keeping this a secret from Kaito, but it would be worth it.

As if on cue, the said boy entered, closing his hands around Shinichi's.

"How was your day?" Shinichi questioned, eyes softening as they met Kaito's.

"It was... lonely..." the magician replied, slightly blushing.

"So was mine."

A hand cupped his cheek, as the other boy looked at him in the eyes, askance written upon his face. The detective place both of his on Kaito's face, drawing him closer. His heart pounded as he tilted his head, eyes closing and face set in determination.

The sound of a door closing breaks the moment, and the two jump in shock.

Kaito opens the door to welcome his childhood friend, Nakamouri Aoko.

"Sorry about bursting into your house... and everything," she apologizes, eyes on the floor in embarrassment.

"It's fine," the detective says. He would do the same if Ran found herself a partner like that, anyway.

She then starts diverging information on all of Kaito's various antics, sparing no detail to save him face.

Kaito holds his hand and pouts.

And roses stand serene, petals dancing in the moonlight.

* * *

><p><span>February only has 28 days, meaning that there are 28 days from Valentine's day to White Day. I recently realized this, and decided to make this PSA again.<span>

On a lighter note, I hope you all enjoyed reading this! Reviews are always appreciated! Sorry this is late (again), but I ran out of ideas. Dreading deadlines and the start of school will do that, unfortunately. I can't believe how many "heavy" courses I'm taking (although to be fair, I already know a lot of the material for two of them; I'm still nervous).


	28. Day 27

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK. Or DC Comics.

* * *

><p>Wednesday.<p>

A woman in scrubs walked into the room at noon. Surgeon, the detective's mind supplied from the imprints on her hand (from scalpels) and face (from a surgical mask). Also, her hands bore the marks of having recently used moisturizer (to counteract drying latex glove powder) of an oily variety office staff usually didn't use, while her shoes were sensible, as if she had to stand up for long periods of time (operations).

His mind was still somewhat reeling after that murder case this morning with a body in the abandoned warehouse. he solved earlier A man was found hung there sometime in the morning, having died at about sunrise.

It turned out that the murderer actually took advantage of the fact that the victim took sleeping pills to drug them. Then they put his neck into the nose and his feet upon a pile of snow with a detonation charge inside. When they could establish an alibi, the charge would blow and the evidence melt away in the morning.

The plot was quite a good one, especially since the warehouse held disfunctional explosives in less peacefu bbbbl times and the killer was a historian. His remaining packaging of the detonation, including a charred corner holiday KFC napkin from last Christmas, gave the game away.

"Kudo-kun, you're all set to go," she declared, glancing down at his chart, "just make sure to change bandages daily and take your antibiotic regime on schedule. You may take painkillers as needed, two every four hours up to sixteen a day. No strenuous physical activity for four weeks, okay? Stay out of trouble, will you?"

"Thanks. I'll try my best," Shinichi replied, taking the prescription and changing into a change of clothes.

He took the public transport to school, greeting Kaito at the gates.

"Yo!"

"Shinichi...? Did you just get out of the hospital?" the magician asked, face set into an expression somewhere between elated and troubled.

"I'll walk you home," the detective offered, smiling. Kaito returned it with a smirk, Shinichi's heart skipping a beat before his rational brain told him there would be trouble.

A cloud of smoke detonated around them.

Shinichi found himself handled by deft hands as he was discreetly strapped into a wheelchair.

"'No strenuous activity'," the magician said, holding up his phone and a text from the surgeon. Shinichi glared at the phone.

"Walking isn't 'strenuous'!"

"Soccer is. You have a practice today and you're carrying a sports bag."

The two continued the banter as they entered the library for a study-date.

They held hands the entire way.

And roses basked in moonlight, glowing, growing, thriving.

* * *

><p><span>I hoped you all enjoyed reading this! The mystery bit was a last-minute addition, but who can resist murder plots when listening to Vivaldi's "Summer" from the <em>Four Seasons<em>? Reviews are always appreciated!

An explanation for CrescentMoonTenshi and anyone else confused by the Gregorian calender: February 14 to March 14 is 28 days since February 2014 has 28 days, meaning that 29 to 30/31 don't exist. This reduces the number of days between Valentine's Day and White Day 2-3 days, enough so that February and the month-long period between any of its days and the corresponding day in the next month is 28 days this year. On leap years, the ones you can divide by 4, you'll go through a similar process, but with 29 days due to the extra day in February.

I'm really going to miss writing this... I despair at endings! Kaito and Shinichi were just simply so lovely in this fic... Oh well, I'm sure I can think of other ideas.

Is anyone else confused at the spelling for Wednesday? I'm always forgetting it... I'm probably past the age where that's acceptable.


	29. White Day

Disclaimer: I make no claims as to the ownership of DCMK or the accuracy of my knowledge of dating. You have been warned.

* * *

><p>Thursday.<p>

*Bzzt!* *Bzzt!*

A high school student with bed head rushed to his cell phone from the kitchen, a grin stretching from one side of his mouth to the other.

"Good morning, Kaito!"

"Oh, you're already up...?" asked a voice on the other end, slightly surprised.

"I do attend the same school as you."

Honestly, what was with people being surprised that he knew when school started? It wasn't his fault that crime didn't sleep, take hiatuses for school, or adjust for early schedules... really!

"No... but you're usually still asleep... Sonoko-sempai told me you tend to sleep in late due to cases..."

Sonoko... that could really only mean one thing...

"Hey, she didn't decide to...?"

"Corner me and pour me a deluge of love advice? With a 'break his heart and Ran will break your arm' thrown in? Yeah..."

...a "maiden's romantic heart would bloom", as Sonoko often put it. Or, in Shinichi's words, she was going to act any way she say fit so long as there was a sufficiently "romantic" cause. Apparently, this meant anything from setting up her friends and playing matchmaker to attending KID heists and binge-watching K-dramas, shoujo anime, and romcoms.

"She'll do that a lot. Anyway, I've already eaten breakfast, shall we go to school together?"

A fumbling noise and a pause came from the other end.

"...I'd love to...!"

*Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!*

The doorbell rang and Shinichi knew it was Ran and Sonoko with his gift. Darn it, Sonoko would be sure to say something incriminating!

"Meet you at your house. Bye!"

*Ding-dong!* *Ding-dong!*

Shinichi hung up, cutting Kaito short. He felt a bit bad about that, but Sonoko's loquacious habits were not to be underestimated. Especially when it came to keeping a secret. She was always super-obvious about it and usually gave it away the first chance she could. Everyone always knew what she was getting for their birthday and the only reason Makoto didn't know about Christmas and Valentine's Day too was because they were going long-distance.

"Good morning," he said, opening the door, perfectly ready for Sonoko's usual teasing.

"Oh what a lovely day for newlyweds, isn't it? Goodness, you've really got yourself a steady... someone who loves puzzles as much as you do...! Puzzle candy of all things!" she exclaimed, smirking.

"Have fun and brush your teeth!" Ran said, effectively cutting her off from any more embarrassing comments.

"When do I forget to brush my teeth?" the detective asked, before realizing the explanation for any odd behaviour, "When I'm not on a case, I mean."

"Not that I know of, if you're not on a case. But you're on a case often enough to make that point," Ran replied.

"Plus, it's simply horirble to have bad breath if you're going to kiss!" Sonoko exclaimed.

"Thanks..." Shinichi replied, nodding awkwardly in agreement although he was pretty sure nobody in the room had ever kissed someone with morning breath before.

"Let's just hope that we're not stopped by a case or something on the way to school," Ran declared and the three made way to school, a few cherry blossom petals tumbling in the wind.

Class dragged on for what seemed like days before lunch, every second agonizingly taking its sweet time until lunch. Goodness, he was starting to sound like Heiji... that non-Holmes-fan of a detective.

Down the hall, the sounds of an explosion could be heard. Their teacher sighed in relief. And one Kaito Kuroba ran out of a classroom for life.

"I swear I'm not planning anything!" he shrieked.

"Not planning anything? You haven't done anything for a month to the day! Why else would you have taken such a long hiatus!?" a higher voice, female, yelled back. It sounded an awful lot like Nakamouri Aoko.

"But I swear! C-can't you wait until tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow!?" she exclaims, stopping in her tracks seemingly in the sheer confusion blooming on her face.

"Yes, you know, when it's not White Day!"

"Oh so that's why you were giving me that chocolate! You booby-trapped it, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't! Please, just wait until tomorrow?"

Class had come to a grinding halt as students, teachers, and administrators alike peered nervously out of their doors at the sight. Shinichi briefly wondered why he hadn't ever noticed this before until he remembered that he was falling asleep from late-night cases, reading mystery novels, or doing homework when there was a pause.

Lunch came soon, classrooms buzzing with activity and gossip among the witnesses there. Who, why, when, where, and how dominated their small talk.

Shinichi climbed to the roof to find Kaito already there, a somewhat panicked expression still on his face.

"Are you hungry? I bought some bread from the cafeteria..." the detective said, sitting next to him.

"...I brought lunch for both of us today," Kaito replied and the two burst into laughter.

"Does that usually happen a lot?" Shinichi asked, curious.

Kaito looks at him in a mixture of awe and concern, "The... thing... with Aoko? Most days, yeah..."

The detective dead-pans, "I was busy."

"...busy...?"

"You know, catching up on sleep from late-night cases, reading mystery novels, catching up on homework... don't look at me like that, I'm sure that a lot of people do it... well, sure not everyone, but I'm not the only one, right? I'm pretty sure that I know at least someone else that does the same thing..."

"It's another detective, right?"

Shinichi gives a huge mock sigh, raising his arms in defeat.

"Yeah."

Kaito smiles, his face lighting up.

"To be honest, though... I was k-kind of glad at the beginning... you know, without my reputation preceeding me and everything..."

"You're perfect just the way you are," Shinichi insists.

They dig into their heart-shaped onigiri and vegetables in companionable silence. Lunch ends all too soon after that, a spring breeze blowing through their hair and Kaito reaching up to brush his bangs away.

Afternoon comes and goes like molasses, cherry blossoms plucked down by the slight breeze. The start of allergy season is upon them.

They go to Poirot after school, holding hands and grinning like maniacs all the way. The waitress smiles and gives them a slice of couples' cake.

Cherry blossoms beacon from every park, tumbling and falling and sweetly blooming like a mass of silky down pillows high above them. Street vendors sell sweets and goodies whose smell wafts through the air, infusing it with life. There will be a festival this weekend.

Kaito tries to buy one of everything (that didn't look like a f-f-finny thing!) and Shinichi insists on paying for them all while lecturing the magician-thief on how he will get sick later. They banter about it until Kaito really does become sick and then they watch a Gomera movie at a local theatre.

They laugh about their childhood blunders quietly in the back.

There isn't any murder in the teatre or anywhere else.

It is twilight when the movie ends, the two of them unwilling to part.

"See you!" Kaito exclaims, not yet releasing Shinichi's hand.

Shinichi kisses him softly on the lips, warm and heavenly.

"See you tomorrow!"

Kaito pulls him in to kiss him back, the rest of the world suddenly very irrelevent.

They smile; truly, genuinly, happy.

And roses flourish, blooming and glowing under the moonlight, the air barely stirring in the calm night.

* * *

><p><span>AN: I really hope you all enjoyed! Thanks to anyone reading, to anyone who reviewed, favourited, or followed! I cannot express how sorry I am this took so long... but I really wanted it to be wonderful. I hope you liked it!<span>

My own White Day was freezing, but who wants to write snow when you've got cherry blossoms? I know that they didn't bloom in Tokyo until a few weeks later, but they're always so pretty and romantic! I've never actually gone on a date or listen to people talk about dating convention so this is what I'd imagine a great date to be like (according to shoujo manga...).

Happy (very) belated White Day (though, to be honest, it's not really celebrated where I live)!

As was usual back in Feburary, I am up way too late.  
><span>


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